I walked past Christopher playing to an audience who gave him a wide berth as they tried to avoid making eye contact with him so they wouldn’t feel obligated to throw money into his cardboard box. His music wasn’t the best I’ve heard, but the effort he was making to bring some pleasure to the pedestrians and his facial expression – a courageous attempt at showing hope in his life – inspired me to ask if I could photograph him and compensate him for capturing the moment.